The CPA Industry’s Largest, Most Authoritative Annual Report

The Rosenberg MAP Survey is the best-known and most respected independent study in the profession – renowned for its accuracy, thoroughness, and high participation rate.

High-Impact Data and Insight

The 2025 Rosenberg Survey delivers critical benchmarking data and insights that can directly shape practice management strategies. Firms can leverage these findings to sharpen profitability, strengthen talent pipelines, and build resilient business models for sustained competitiveness.

Informed Decision-Making

The report provides granular benchmarks on profitability, fee growth, partner income, billing rates, and utilization. With income per equity partner ranging from $376,000 to $753,000 and billing rates increased between 4.5% and 7%, firms can compare against peer performance, spot underperforming metrics, and set measurable improvement goals.

Strategic Planning and Growth

Utilization rates (52.2%–56.2%), and staff leverage enable firms to create strategies that reflect realistic growth trajectories. Analysis of elite firms highlights best practices in pricing, margin management, and governance that other firms can adapt to achieve superior efficiency.

Talent and Compensation Management

Turnover eased to 11.1%, down from 18.6% in 2023, suggesting the workforce is beginning to stabilize. Compensation trends and evolving staff-to-partner ratios give firms evidence-based tools to design competitive pay and career progression models that attract and keep top performers.

Operational Efficiency and Outsourcing

The report tracks the expansion of outsourcing and offshoring. Firms over $20 million have adopted offshoring at a rate of 63% and outsourcing at 56.2%. These practices are helpful  in combating capacity constraints and labor shortages, offering firms a tested pathway to improve efficiency and maintain client service quality.

Service Diversification

Breakdowns of tax, assurance, and client accounting services revenue streams reveal opportunities to rebalance service lines. Firms pursuing financial advisory and CAS offerings show above-average profitability.

The 2025 Rosenberg Survey: Top Ten Benchmarks

These benchmarks represent the most critical measures shaping firm performance in 2025 and beyond.

1. Income Per Equity Partner (IPP):
   • Firms over $20M in net fees reported an average IPP of $753,000.
   • Smaller firms (<$2M) averaged $376,000.
   • Median IPP across all firms over $2 million increased 3.2%.
2. Fee Growth (Including and Excluding Mergers):
   • Firms above $20M achieved 9.7% growth, including mergers; growth was 7.6% excluding mergers.
   • Firms under $2M posted 12.8% growth.
3. All Staff-to-Partner Ratio:
   • Leverage remains a major profitability driver.
   • Larger firms operate at 12.6 staff per partner, compared with 5.4 staff per partner at smaller firms.
4. Billing Rates by Market Size and Role:
   • Equity partner billing rates ranged from $368 to $446 per hour, depending on market size.
   • The highest rates were reported in large metro markets with populations above 2M.
5. Professional Staff Turnover:
   • Turnover eased slightly to 11.1%, down from 11.9% last year.
   • Staff turnover is easing as firms strengthen culture, career development, and workload balance.
6. Realization Rates:
   • Larger firms (> $20M) reported a realization of 87.1%.
   • Smaller firms (< $2M) achieved 99.0%, reflecting stronger billing efficiency in closely held practices.
7. Utilization Rates:
   • Professional staff utilization averaged 52.2% to 56.2% across firm sizes.
   • Utilization declined slightly compared to prior year.
8. Billing Rates Correlation to Profitability:
   • Firms in the top quartile for billing rates reported IPP of $774,000.
   • Firms in the bottom quartile reported $475,000, underscoring the strong connection between pricing discipline and partner profitability.
9. Outsourcing and Offshoring Trends:
   • 2% of firms over $20 million are currently outsourcing, and more than half plan to expand those efforts.
   • 31% of firms in the $5–10M range are offshoring talent, up from 21.7% a year ago.

2026 Outlook: The Top Six Trends

Staffing and Talent Management Issues

• Talent shortages ease as firms hire multi-disciplinary and global/offshore professionals.
• Starting pay rises to attract and retain talent.
• Culture, mentoring, and leadership development become retention priorities.
• Succession shifts from static planning to a continuous process.
• Firms invest more in career pathing and people development to strengthen long-term leadership pipelines.

Enhanced Use of Outsourcing and Offshoring

• Global and offshore hiring expands to address capacity challenges and skill gaps.
• Outsourcing integrates into firm strategy as a sustainable staffing lever.
• Firms pair outsourcing with technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Strategic Growth and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

• PE-backed roll-ups and traditional M&A accelerate, including secondary “flips.”
• Billion-dollar platforms continue to emerge across the profession.
• Independent firms differentiate through culture, specialization, and client focus.
• Turnkey partnerships expand advisory capabilities and accelerate growth.
• Governance models evolve to support scale, capital infusion, and agility.

Increased Investment in Technology and Innovation

• Autonomous systems reshape workflows and compress entry-level work.
• Firms adopt new training, safeguards, and performance metrics tied to technology.
• AI-driven efficiencies drive a shift toward higher-value, advisory-focused work.

Rising Importance of Strategic Planning

• Firms connect 5-year visions to clear priorities, funding, and disciplined execution.
• Alternate practice structures and non-CPA ownership gain momentum.
• Strategic planning focuses on client segmentation, ideal markets, and sustainable growth.
• Advisory and CAAS services replace lower-value compliance work.

Evolving Compensation Models and Partner Buyouts

• The billable hour gives way to project, value-based, and packaged pricing.
• Firms target materially higher revenue per FTE.
• Pricing discipline strengthens as firms emphasize outcomes over hours.
• PE capital and IPO models reshape partner compensation and equity structures.